Garcinia portoricensis

(Urb.) Alain

Clusiaceae

There is disagreement between botanists over the correct placing of this species, with some recognising the genus Rheedia and placing this species in that genus as Rheedia portoricensis Urb. (treated here as a synonym)[

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Garcinia portoricensis is an evergreen tree with a narrow crown of drooping or horizontal branches; reports suggest that it used to grow up to 20 metres tall, but the largest specimens currently growing are more likely to be around 6 metres. The bole is around 10cm in diameter[

Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 250 tree species, including both native and exotic species.

].

Properties

Other Uses Rating

Habit

Evergreen Tree

Height

6.00 m

Cultivation Status

Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Individual flowers on a tree can be bisexual or either male or female. In addition, distinctly male and female flowers can either both be on the same tree (monoecious) or on different trees (dioecious)[

Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 250 tree species, including both native and exotic species.

].
We do not have any more information on the wood of this species, but a general description of the wood for trees in the Americas which were formerly considered to be in the genus Rheedia is as follows:-
The heartwood is dark yellow-brown, grayish- or pinkish-brown, merging gradually into the sapwood; surfaces are sometimes specked with resinous exudations. The texture is medium to coarse; the grain straight to irregular and roey; luster medium to rather low; it is free from discernible odour or taste. Species in Surinam are rated durable to attack by decay fungi and fairly resistant to dry wood termites. Species in Colombia are resistant to a brown-rot fungus but not the white-rot in a laboratory assay. Under field conditions the wood was susceptible to decay and attack by insects. It dries rapidly, but is reported to be moderately difficult to air season, tending to warp and check. Reports on workability vary with species from moderate to high resistance to cutting to machining fairly well; reports on ease of finishing are also variable. The wood is used for purposes such as furniture, flooring (quarter sawn), heavy construction, and general carpentry[